Rise Upon Wings
by meratocat
Summary: In a far off desert land, a draik warlord prepares to assult a kingdom while it's princess tries to think of a way to get help, which she may find in two lowly desert theives.
1. Default Chapter

Rise Upon Wings By Meratocat  
  
Part 1  
  
The battle-scarred draik stood upon the broken walls of the old fortress with the sun almost directly behind him and slowly rising higher. A single look at the face of the draik would tell you that he had seen many battles in his time. Several scars ran down his left cheek, thin and pink in contrast to his white scales. His left wing stood proudly upon his back, but his right wing was tattered and torn. It hung uselessly on his back, and even after all the years after it had healed, it still pained him. It was obvious that with that wing flight would be impossible for him. His clothing was weather worn, and bulged slightly in places where he kept weapons beneath it, and a suit of chain mail was worn under his clothing.  
  
The draik looked fierce enough on his own, but upon his shoulder sat an airax. The airax's eyes were hazel in color, but had the look of an eagle on the hunt. The slight gleam of light that reflected from the iris of the eye was menacing, and its talons were long and sharpened. The airax ruffled its feathers, and then fanned out its tail before returning to its watchful gaze.  
  
"Skyblade." The draik spoke at last, and his voice was like the pounding of a hammer against a bar of iron. "Things have been put into motion at last. The flame of that city Tasarets is kindling and soon the creatures behind their walls will give in to us, and I will rule over them all. My army will grow, and my influence shall cover this land." He laughed to himself as the airax let out a few notes to match the laughter. "Come, let us check on those in my charge."  
  
The draik jumped from the wall he was standing upon, spreading his one good wing for balance while the airax flapped his strong wings as the wind blew over him. They landed upon the ground, and the draik smirked as he walked off to survey his troops.  
  
***  
  
The city of Tasarets was one of the larger cities on the edge of the desert. Strong sandstone walls encased a large city and a large palace stood at its center. Generally the creatures of the city would already be up and about, bartering and bargaining for items that their massive market would sell, but the streets were virtually empty that day.  
  
On any normal day, the sounds of voices talking would almost constantly echo throughout the streets, but now the sounds heard were that of a not too distant battle. The clanging of swords, and the shout of soldiers as they ordered those in their charge to release arrows was what could be heard in those streets. With a battle on their doorsteps, the city folk had long since locked themselves safely inside their homes.  
  
A few creatures did walk the streets however, and of these creatures were two friends, one kougra, and one cybunny, who were both dressed in a lowly form of the traditional garb of their city. The kougra was painted the color of desert with his tan fur, and golden cuffs upon his wrists, though he did not have the headdress that most other desert kougra's had, nor did he have the neck covering. The cybunny too was the color of the desert with a light brown-tan fur that looked like it had been under the sun much too long. He wore a sash that was tied to his waste with a leather belt that held up his semi-baggy pants. He wore a large golden loop in one of his ears, and upon his paws were two golden cuffs almost identical to his friend's.  
  
"Things are starting to get a little tense I think." Said the cybunny, his large ears raised to catch the distant sounds of battle.  
  
"Yeah. Too bad all the fighting scared all of the city creatures back into their homes. It makes business for us a lot harder." The kougra answered back and he played with a dagger in his hands.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
The two were thieves, and they made their living swiping what they could from the market stalls, and cutting the purses from unsuspecting neopets to collect their day's wage. It wasn't the most respectable of livings, but as it got them by day to day, and they were quite well off with their profession, the two had never really thought of trying to become anything else.  
  
"I just don't get these people Talanar." The cybunny said shaking his head. "A battle breaks out, and they hide in their homes like a snowbunny hiding down its hole with a doglefox waiting for it to poke its nose out. If those baddies do get in, and decide to attack the city people, there isn't much hiding will do."  
  
"They feel safe, that's all Ceral." Replied Talanar the kougra as he slid his dagger away. "Sometimes the doglefox gets bored of waiting, and will leave to look for easier prey."  
  
"I don't think this doglefox is turning around anytime soon..." Ceral said as his ears caught more sound of the battle. "They should go out and air their military instead of hiding." Ceral the cybunny said seriously.  
  
"Oh, you worry too much Ceral. Besides, it doesn't matter if they do get through the cities defenses, we can always slip right out the back with no one the wiser."  
  
Ceral sighed, "I guess that you're right." But what he said did not match his emotions.  
  
Side by side, the two thieves walked towards the city walls, and the noise of battle got louder with each step that they took.  
  
***  
  
Her fur was a soft brown color, and was sleek and neatly trimmed. Around he head was a golden circlet with a blue gem set on its front, and a blue- jeweled necklace that fell flat upon her chest that was crafted in the shape of a horus in flight with its wings spread wide. A short-sleeve white dress fell down to her ankles, and fit to her form perfectly, moving with her as she walked down the gold-covered halls of her father. She was the cybunny princess of the kingdom, and her and her father both resided in the city of Tasarets as the center of their desert kingdom.  
  
She walked with a grace, and yet there was a hint of strength in that stride. She walked with her head bowed, deep in a thought pool as she tried to conjuror up the fate of her and her people. Despite how her father tried to blow off the threat of the draik warlord Tareirah as irrelevant, she knew that the danger was strong, and their fates could be put to the whim of the draik if he broke through their steadily weakening defenses. If that happened... she didn't think that there would be much hope for her family.  
  
She sighed, and her ears fell back as she continued to walk down the halls, occasionally glancing left and right at all the various tapestries and wall hangings that were on the palace walls. Soon, she came up to a set of two large wooden doors, and she pushed them open, and walked inside the room.  
  
"Father." She said loudly as she walked inside, and an older cybunny with a golden crown upon his head turned to look at her. His once fine and silver glossy coat was now pretty ragged in spots, and the silver was turning into more of a dull gray through stress and work.  
  
"Yes Lalsone." He replied with a soft smile to his daughter the princess.  
  
"Father, Tareirah is not weakening and falling back as you said he would. Our defenses can't hold up against all the creatures that he has in his command. You have to make the call, and send all available forces against him, and ask the neighboring cities for help! If you don't, we will fall within a week."  
  
"Don't be ignorant Lalsone." The cybunny said waving a gold clasped paw as if he was brushing away a fly. "What do you know of battle? You should be much more concerned with the other aspects of our city then how it fights. Allow my generals and I to conduct our cities fighting force, and you can do things more appropriate for a princess of the kingdom of Tasarets."  
  
With another wave of his paw, Lalsone knew that she was dismissed, but before she would leave, she gave a sharp look up to her father. "If Sastar had recommended it, you would have listened." and she strode out at her fathers distraught look at the mention of his deceased son's name.  
  
Lalsone knew the reason that he would not call for help from one of their sister cities, for he was too stubborn to ask for help, and he didn't want to appear weak to them. But appearing weak was nothing if you were crushed beneath the power of an opposing force. She hated that she had to use Sastar's name against her father, but the fact that he had said that as she was feminine that she could know nothing of war made her do it. Her brother, as the heir to their father, had learned as much as he could on the workings of the military, and he had transferred a lot of that information to his younger sister before that fateful day he had gone out to a battle tall and proud, and then later carried back barely clutching to life with all his drastic wounds. His last words to her had been to always stay strong, and never to give up. She would always keep those words in her mind.  
  
Her father's impudence was going to get them all destroyed, and even if she had to work against his will, she was not going to allow that to happen. She loved her father dearly, but as he got older, and fate had unkindly taken from him most that he had held dear, and so he had changed from the strong kind he once was into one obsessed with having everything his way. He had grown a rock-hard shell, which he hid himself inside of, and only came out occasionally to speak to her.  
  
She slowly steeped out onto a balcony that overlooked the kingdom, and she looked across its vast expanses. The sun, rising from behind her shed its golden glow upon the buildings flat roofs, and pushed the palace's shadow far; almost to the walls. Looking at the city's walls, Lalsone's mind started to work. She thought about the battle that would determine their kingdom's fate, and a sigh escaped her lips. There just had to be a way that they could win this battle. 


	2. chapter 2

Part 2  
  
Tareirah grinned to himself as he slowly walked through the makeshift barracks that the creatures under his command were residing in. The grin he shed was savage, and could only be remade by another such as himself, a warlord.  
  
"My Lord!" A red lenny said running up to the draik.  
  
Tareirah turned, "Yes, what is it lieutenant?" "We are ready to attack. The preparations have all been made, and all we are waiting for is your command."  
  
"Tell the men that they have it." Tareirah turned away from his lieutenant quickly, and with a quick nod, the lenny rushed off to leave the draik in peace. He reached up a hand and stroked his fingers gently over Skyblade's silken feathers. The airax opened up a hazel eye, and crooned in appreciation to its master's touch, and the subtle start of a smile started on the draik's lips, but years of being a warlord kept him from making any more of that smile.  
  
"Soon Skyblade." He said to himself as much as the airax. "Soon, the cities defenses will fall, and my men will storm their city, and claim it in my name. Once we have a city of our own, we can finally settle down. There won't be anymore wandering from place to place as a band of renegades. We'll finally be regarded with the respect we deserve." The airax chirped to him, and he clutched his fists together, "Salamar will pay for what he did to me..."  
  
Tareirah's thoughts drifted back through the years to the time when he was still fresh and whole. He had been a promising general even then, fresh out of training and quite willing to work within the walls of Tasarets. He was not alone though, for there was another promising warrior, the cybunny crowned prince Salamar.  
  
Despite Salamar being his lead opponent, Tareirah and the prince soon became tight friends, and became the strongest duo the kingdom had ever heard of. Through the friendship the two shared, they went on many journeys, and had many misadventures together which they could always laugh about later on. It seemed that nothing could break the friendship between the raggedy white draik swordsman, and the crowned prince of the city. But something did come between them eventually.  
  
Salamar's father, the prince, became horribly ill, and none of the healers could cure him. With his father hanging on death's door, Salamar had become distraught, and often couldn't even find it in him to speak to the draik whom he had become such good friends with. Tareirah hated to see his friend in such a state, so he dug up every last book the kingdom owned on sicknesses determined to find a cure for his friend's father, and yet nothing seemed to be of any help at all. The healers had already dug through all those books hoeing to restore the king to health themselves.  
  
The answer finally did come to him in a small shop owned by a fortuneteller kyrii. Tareirah had been wandering around in some of the less traveled sections of the city when he spotted the old tattered book in the window of the kyrii's shop. Curious, he had picked it up, and began to read through it, and all the knowledge contained within amazed him beyond belief. Instantly, he had approached the kyrii and offered to buy the book. He offered all the money that he had stored up in his pockets, and although the kyrii didn't look like he wanted to give up the book, he eventually did due to the generous price offered by Tareirah.  
  
He had stayed up the entire night, reading through the old and dusty pages of the book, searching for anything that could help him in his quest to help his friend's father. At last, he did find it, it was all in the book. All the symptoms of the illness were described, and even better, a cure was stated too. There was a special herb that he had to collect, but it was not going to be easy to get, and would require a partner.  
  
Right away, Tareirah was going to find Salamar to ask the cybunny for his help to save his father, the king, but Tareirah decided against it. He thought that it would cause so much more joy if he instead surprised his friend with the cure to the disease. Tareirah still needed a partner to help him out though, so he choose Elnar, Salamar's younger brother, to be his partner. He had never liked his friend's younger brother, he was always whining and complaining, and always wanted things to go his way. However, Salamar loved his brother dearly, so Tareirah would stand for him.  
  
Elnar instantly agreed to help Tareirah in the search for the herb, but little did he know, that the younger brother of his friend was traitorous. Elnar was gifted in the ability to make poisons, something that wasn't widely known except to those he did his dealings with. Also, he was jealous of his brother being next in line to the thrown, he believed that spot belonged to him. He had set up the plans to poison his own father with a very special poison that wouldn't kill by itself, but would cause the consumer to become dreadfully ill with a disease that he did not believe there was a cure too. After his father would pass into the afterlife, his brother would become king, but only for a short period of time before he too was to come down with this 'sickness.' That would leave only him to become king at last. It was the perfect plan, his brother's friend was not supposed to come up with a cure to the disease.  
  
He had gotten lucky though, Tareirah had invited him of all people to join him in this quest to find the herb that could be used to cure his father's illness. It was just too bad that there would be an accident during the night to the draik as soon as they were far enough away from the city to avoid detection.  
  
Finally, that time had come, and while Tareirah was asleep. Elnar pulled out a long curved dagger, and slowly walked towards the sleeping form of Tareirah, ready to end things there. However, the draik was long trained in combat, and he was a light sleeper. Elnar posed his arm, ready to strike, but before he could bring his blade down, Tareirah opened his eyes, and saw the cybunny about to strike. He rolled to the side just as Elnar slammed his dagger downwards, but it was not a complete miss. Instead of hitting Tareirah's chest, it instead slammed into his right wing, cutting near the bone.  
  
Realizing that his attack had not hit home, Elnar quickly turned tail and ran for it, leaving Tareirah to wither as pain shot through the wound that was inflicted in him. His wing almost instantly become numb, and it was obvious to Tareirah that the blade had been poisoned as well. Ripping off some of his shirt to use as a makeshift bandage, he tightly wound it over the injured part of his wing to slow the wound, and hopefully stop the spread of the poison. Wincing he had crawled over to the pack left behind from Elnar. Inside there was a little journal, which Tareirah opened up and started reading through. He gasped as he read through the parts expressing what the cybunny planned to do, and he instantly knew what he had to do. He had to warn Salamar.  
  
The journey was slow, and painstaking, but eventually, Tareirah reached the city and was met by a flurry of guards. They had bound him, and carried him before the chambers of Salamar. "What is the meaning of this?" He had asked. "Why do you bring my friend here tied up like a prisoner!?"  
  
"My prince." The head guard bowed to Salamar. "Your brother Elnar ordered it to be so."  
  
Tareirah growled at those words, but a quick smack from the guard holding him silenced him. "And why would he order that?"  
  
The guard gave a quick bow to Salamar. "Your brother has discovered that he is in league with a group of bandits. Your friend has been poisoning the king, with plans of getting rid of the royal family so that he could in turn rule."  
  
Tareirah's eyes had gone wide. Lies, it was all lies. Surely his friend would realize that.  
  
Salamar had stared into his eyes with a cold dark hatred that he had never seen before. "And I called you my friend. Take him away from my sight!"  
  
It couldn't be true, he had set out to help, and was being condemned. A cold furry blazed in Tareirah's eyes at that moment, and with a yell, he kicked one strong leg into one of the guards, and rammed his fist into the other to knock them from him. He quickly used his dagger to cut the ropes from his hands before the guards could regain themselves, and drawing his sword, he jumped out the window.  
  
His injured wing burned as if it was doused in flames from the strained flight, but Tareirah didn't even care as his cold gaze set upon the form of Elnar who was walking amongst the crowds below. The cybunny traitor barely even had a chance to turn as Tareirah fell upon him with the steel of his sword, and watched the threat to the kingdom fall beneath his very fingers. Guards rushed in at him, and Tareirah fell to them without much any of a fight at all.  
  
He had been condemned. Salamar did no believe a word he said, and his once friend had had him tossed into the deserts without any food or medicine for his wing, and he was declared an exile. He could never return.  
  
It was because of Salamar that his wing did not heal correctly, causing him to loose the power of full flight. It was Salamar's fault that he had almost died out in the deserts, and was picked up by a band of cruel mercenaries. He had learned their ways, and soon became a warlord. Now he would have his revenge against the one he once dared call friend, and he would claim the thrown for himself just as he was once upon a time falsely accused of. He would paint the palace walls red as payment for the torture he had to go through. It was the bittersweet joys of revenge. 


End file.
